Following auditions held between January 12 and 16, the Augier Combined, Babonneau Primary, Canon Laurie Anglican Primary, and Ave Maria Primary schools have made it to the finals of the Sagicor Schools’ Choir Competition.
The Sir Ira Simmons Secondary and the Jon Odlum School of Arts, Media and Design have also moved on to the finals in the secondary schools category.
Jason Bachelor Joseph, who organises the competition, now in its fourth year after transitioning from the music festival format, says that although the number of schools auditioning this year declined to 12 from last year’s 16, he has noted marked improvements from participating schools. “…teachers are arranging well now, the students are singing in parts compared to a lot of unison singing before, so I am pleased with that aspect,” he told St. Lucia Times, noting that the competition’s main objective was to enhance the quality of arrangements and choral performances in schools.
On the other hand, Joseph noted that there are still areas for improvement. “Some schools are not paying enough attention to the test piece. There is a score that goes with it, and they don’t study the music sheet, so at auditions, there were quite a few performances that were not in keeping with how the test piece was supposed to be.”
Slated for February 4 at the National Cultural Centre, the competition will feature its usual six-school format. However, rather than three primary schools and three secondary schools competing for individual titles, four primary and two secondary schools will compete. “…One secondary did not qualify,” Joseph explained.
He attributes the overall drop in the number of participating schools to challenges local school choirs are facing across the island, including students’ inability to commit to regular choir rehearsals after school due to issues like a lack of reliable transport access.
“The instrumental programmes at the schools, they’re surviving because you have individual students and they don’t mind staying, but to work with the larger groups, the teachers have been unable to rehearse after school,” Joseph said.
He is now considering returning to the music festival format for January’s annual show, which provides opportunities for both solo and group performances to take the stage. “I also believe the music festival will give a better representation across the island of what’s happening musically in schools,” he says. However, he noted that ultimately, the decision will come down to whether sponsors are on board.
The competition is supported this year not only by its main sponsor, Sagicor, but Joseph says he is also grateful for the support of the Nobel Laureate Festival Committee and is looking forward to the usual show of support from the Ministry of Education.
